Incendiary
by livezinshadowz
Summary: The mission is the kindling and their argument the spark that starts a fire between them. But Naruto's only ever been in love with one girl, and the decision to welcome the newly-ignited flames that consume his head and heart is a strange and confusing one. Two-shot, NaruIno
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto._

It starts out simply as a mission and ends as something far more complicated. Naruto knows this because none of his other missions have ever ended with him lying naked next to another person in a strange bed.

 _"Hit me," he says, sweeping his cards across the felt tabletop as Tsunade showed him to do. The dealer places the seven of clubs face-up, and Naruto has to think for a brief second before placing his dealt cards face-down under his pile of chips and waving his hand palm-down over them – the sign that he's staying._

 _Why the Godaime Hokage picked him of all people to carry out this mission, Naruto is sure he'll never understand. Missions involving going undercover aren't his forte – not just because the blond's features aren't really subtle, but also because he's a very poor liar, and more emotional and reactive than, say, Shikamaru or Shino – but his grandmother-figure absolutely insisted that he was the perfect choice. "Trust me," she stated, "I know what I'm doing."_

 _Naruto thinks she's going senile, but voicing that opinion is likely to end up with him flying through several walls of the Hokage Tower – or worse, shattering the window and ending up a smear on the Hokage Monument – so he keeps the thought to himself. Inwardly, he's also just_ slightly _peeved that Sakura had to put makeup on his cheeks to hide his whisker-like birthmarks; makeup is hardly the mark of a man._

 _He's supposed to be meeting up with another Konoha-nin, one who's been under deep cover at the casino for some time, though all the information Tsunade was willing to give him was "You'll know when you see her"._

 _Naruto assumes Tsunade doesn't tell him because she's being cautious in the event that he's compromised, but even though the blond knows that he'll never betray his fellow Leaf shinobi, all he can do is simply trust that the Godaime knows what she's doing._

 _Most of the time, anyway._

 _The dealer pulls a jack and busts, and Naruto collects his winnings as he's been doing for the past hour. Playing with Tsunade's advice has so far been working amazingly for him, and the Jinchūriki can't understand why the Sannin has the moniker 'The Legendary Sucker' when he can cope just fine at the blackjack tables using her strategies._

 _"Can I refill your drink?"_

 _Naruto looks up into pupil-less, baby blue eyes set in a fair-skinned face framed by platinum blonde hair, and he suddenly understands who his contact is._

"Hey, get up."

Vibrant blue eyes open slowly to find pupil-less, baby blue eyes staring at him. "…Hm?"

Yamanaka Ino releases a frustrated sigh. "Jeez, are you always this slow in the morning? No wonder people always have to wait for you."

He sits up in bed – the sheet crumpling around his waist – and rubs his eyes to rid them of crust. "You should try waitin' for Kakashi-sensei. He takes _forever_."

Ino snorts in what Naruto guesses to be bemusement. "So I've heard. Students inherit all their teachers' bad habits…Shikamaru still smokes like a chimney even though I tell him not to."

It's one of the few conversations they've had so far that hasn't devolved into scathing comments, backhanded remarks, or business, and the blond finds himself briefly enjoying the simplicity of the moment before someone's words shatter it like newly-spun glass.

 _Naruto remembers that he's supposed to remain inconspicuous, and the way he's staring at Ino is hardly subtle. "Uh, sure," he responds, following Tsunade's reminder that it's traditional to drink while gambling. "Rum 'n' fizz," he says, "but light on the rum, please." His tolerance has never been stretched before, but he'd rather stay as clear-headed as possible while he's undercover._

 _Ino scoots around him, trailing her hand along the width of his shoulders. "You got it," she winks. While she's touching him, Naruto can feel her mind connect with his in the Yamanaka clan telepathy he experienced during the war. [I can't believe Hokage-sama sent_ you _on this mission] she communicates, her mental voice full of disbelieving scorn. Then, before he can respond that he wholeheartedly agrees, the connection is broken and Ino is gone, sauntering to the bar._

 _"Sir? What would you like to do?"_

 _"Hit," he replies distractedly, ignoring the proclamations regarding his sanity and intelligence being murmured by his tablemates. The dealer lays down a three, bringing his total up to twenty-one._

 _Everyone at the table expresses some measure of shock, disbelief, or outrage at the shinobi's luck. One older gentleman chuckles and nudges Naruto with his elbow. "That Hana's quite the flirt, but it's all for the tips. If you're interested in something more, you're better off going elsewhere."_

 _The spiky-haired blond watches his fellow Konoha-nin return to the table and set his drink down, gracing him with a pretty smile and grabbing the chip he proffers before sashaying away. He turns toward the older man, barely noticing the dealer switching out. "They do that here?" he asks quietly, picking up on the man's meaning. The idea that Tsunade sent Ino to such a place is an unpleasant one._

 _"If you're lucky," grins the other man, nodding. "Looks like you might find out."_

 _Naruto turns around to find two burly men standing behind him, arms crossed over their chests. "Sir, if you'll come with us, the manager would like a word with you."_

Ino's staring at him again in that way that means she thinks he's being weird, so Naruto blurts out, "You're bein' really nice." When the platinum blonde scowls at him, he knows he's said the wrong thing, and quickly backtracks. "I mean…y'know…we normally don't get along so well…"

"Got along well enough last night," she smirks.

Naruto rubs the back of his head in an embarrassed manner. "Heheh, well…caught up in the moment, y'know?"

Ino's smirk grows just a little more pronounced. "Uh-huh."

When she slips from the bed to search for her discarded clothing, Naruto finds his throat going dry; he's never been attracted to Ino in the same way he was Sakura (not that he's ever really been attracted to _anyone_ besides Sakura), but the platinum blonde is undeniably gorgeous. Unthinkingly, he stammers, "A-ah, shouldn't you be more, I dunno—" he gesticulates wildly with his hands, as if that'll help him find the words he's looking for (and hopefully distract her from his staring), "— _weird_ about this? When Sakura-chan and I—"

Naruto's mouth snaps shut in realization that he's said a little too much, but it's too late, for Ino whirls around with a smug expression that reminds him of the proverbial cat who's caught the canary. "Ah HA! I knew you and Billboard Brow did it! So, how'd I compare? Better, right?"

"…'m not sayin'," he mumbles, trying _very_ hard to keep his eyes centered on her face and not on the fact that she's still topless; his willpower slips, and he tries to focus on his scruples – on not becoming the next Jiraiya or Kakashi – instead of his companion.

The blond might not be very experienced, but he knows that there's a line of propriety that he's not supposed to cross. It's just his misfortune that Ino is notorious for having a big mouth and an ear for gossip. But he and Sakura are a one-time thing long passed, and while he's not sure his affections for her have ever really gone away, airing their private affairs is not something he has any intention of doing.

Especially not to her best friend.

Ino seems completely unabashed by her nakedness, instead staring at him with hands on hips and a smoldering look of success in her eyes; even through his embarrassment and the hot rush of uncontrollable excitement burning through his body, Naruto admires her brazenness. "Sometimes silence is more telling than anything else," she informs him. After standing there for another several seconds, watching him, she states almost coyly, "Well? Turn around."

Naruto's head snaps around to obey, not even considering how pointless it is after all this time, his face flushed crimson. … _Damn it,_ he thinks, and even he's not sure whether it's embarrassment from being caught ogling her or because all he wants to do is continue staring, propriety be damned.

 _He blinks. "Why?"_

 _"The manager would like to compensate you with some benefits as a reward for doing so well."_

 _Deciding that causing a scene and blowing his cover is a bad_ _idea, the blond acquiesces. He rises from his seat and reaches for his chips, but the man behind him states, "Leave them. You will be compensated for your winnings." Offering his stacks one last, mournful look, the Konoha-nin reluctantly obeys and follows the two men through the gambling parlor._

 _He's eventually led into a posh room where a thin man with black hair and a wispy goatee is sitting on a regal-looking chair. Naruto's eyes flicker around the room, landing for several seconds on each of the scantily-clad women that surround the man he presumes to be the manager. "Ah, Kimura-san, so good to meet you," says the man. "My name is Fukui Hayate, and I'm the owner of this establishment."_

 _Hayate pauses for effect, and, in the silence where it feels like he's waiting for Naruto to say something, the blond utters, "Nice to meetch—uh, meet you." He mentally shakes his head, ridding himself of the impulse to speak as casually as he normally does._

 _"Yes, a pleasure," returns Hayate in a way that Naruto feels is completely insincere, though he can't quite place why. "The reason I asked to speak with you is because you've qualified for a complimentary evening at our establishment…with accommodations, of course," the owner adds with a wink. He spreads his arms wide to indicate the girls surrounding him. "Please, take your pick."_

 _Naruto almost protests the offer – the way the man smirks reminds him a little of how Jiraiya always looked whenever he referenced something remotely perverse – but then remembers that refusing might make him even more suspicious. "Uh, well—" and suddenly he's struck by inspiration, "—I like blondes," he blurts. "That waitress who was serving me…Hana. I want her."_

 _Hayate's lips twist briefly into a scowl before he schools his features. "Yes, well, unfortunately, she's not available to…service you. Surely you can find someone here satisfactory to your tastes?"_

 _Naruto crosses his arms over his chest and tries to look haughty. "Well, then I guess I'm going back to gamble. Thanks for the offer—"_

 _"Wait, wait, wait," Hayate interrupts. He silently weighs the pros and cons of breaking whatever deal he has with the waitress versus losing profits if Naruto continues to gamble before pressing a buzzer on his desk and commanding, "Get me Hana."_

 _They wait in silence for several minutes, which is broken only when Ino's loud protests at being manhandled make themselves heard. The door to Hayate's office slams open, and the same men who escorted Naruto into the office shove the Yamanaka into the room. "We had a deal!" she shrieks as the door closes._

 _"Yes,_ had. _Deals are meant to be broken," the owner says. "You're Kimura-san's for the night." Ino shoots a scathing look at Naruto, who represses a shudder at the glare. "Remember your duty." To Naruto, he continues, "Room 21 is yours, Kimura-san. If there's anything else I can do for you, any other accommodations you require, please don't hesitate to ask."_

 _Ino storms out of the room, Naruto following after a polite bow to the man for his 'generosity'. Neither blond talks until Naruto opens the door to their suite – where Ino is already waiting outside – the kunoichi stalking past him and sitting down on the bed. The Jinchūriki closes the door behind him and approaches her, unsure of what to say. "Uh…sorry about that—"_

 _"That was great!" Ino proclaims, her demeanor now far less hostile. Naruto briefly wonders if all women are prone to emotional tantrums at the drop of a hat, or if he's the only one unfortunate enough to have to work with Sakura and those who share her temperament. "No wonder Tsunade-sama sent you. I've never seen anyone get called away from the tables that fast!"_

 _"Eh?"_

 _The platinum blonde stares at him for a moment, almost disbelieving. "…It was sheer, dumb luck, wasn't it?" she mutters. "Did you know that they take away the players who are doing too well? They offer whatever they want – room and board, food, women—" she scowls here, displeased with the notion, "—to big winners because it's less expensive than letting them continue to play."_

Oh, _he thinks, a bit of comprehension lighting his features. Ino notices, for she comments, "Idiot."_

 _"Hey!"_

 _"I can't believe I ever thought that I could fall for you," she continues, more to herself than to him. "All brawn, no brains."_

 _"Huh?"_

 _Ino shakes her head to rid herself of the thought, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. "Never mind. Look, I've got a lot of stuff for you to tell Hokage-sama, so listen up…"_

 _Naruto sits quietly as Ino relays every scrap of information she's collected over the course of her undercover work. When he asks for her to elaborate and repeat some details – because his memory isn't quite the best – she releases a weary sigh before digging into his mind to place locks and triggers on certain topics, telling him that another Yamanaka can retrieve any necessary information from there. The dissertation seems to take forever, and by the end of it, his head is spinning from the influx of information; absently, he wonders if her clan techniques aren't the cause of his migraine, and that's why she keeps telling him things verbally rather than hiding them for another mind-reader to find. Ino fists her hands on her hips and glares at him. "Did you get all that?"_

" _Yeah…I think so." The glare grows more pronounced, and Naruto quickly stammers, "A-ah, but it's all locked in my head, right? So no problem!"_

 _"If you screw this up, so help me…" Ino sighs in defeat. "Honestly, I don't even know how you function every day."_

 _Something about the way she speaks so condescendingly to him finally pisses Naruto off. "Yeah? Well, I don't know how anyone likes you with how bitchy you are!"_

 _"I'm perfectly nice!" she snarls. "You're just damn irritating!"_

 _"Yeah, well, since we're done, why don't you just leave?!"_

 _"I can't!" she snaps. "That ass Hayate expects me to spend the night with you, and we have to keep up appearances!"_

 _"Oh…" Naruto isn't quite sure what to say after that, knowing that he and Ino are stuck together until the next morning. Considering the fact that they have no other recourse, he decides to make the effort to reconcile, if for no other reason than to clear the awkward air after all the mudslinging. "Sorry…" he offers, "about…y'know, callin' you names and stuff." Ino, despite her attitude, is still one of his friends, and the spiky-haired blond is uncomfortable with having one of his precious people be upset with him. She again waves it off with one hand, signaling that she doesn't really care, and Naruto lapses back into silence. Then, remembering what she said earlier, he asks, "What did you mean when you said you thought you could fall for me?"_

 _Ino snorts in a combination of amusement and derision. "Oh, sure,_ that _you remember._ _Fine._ _Well, remember when you returned to Konoha after everyone who fought Pein came back to life?" Naruto nods slowly, the memory still vivid even years later; Nagato's sacrifice was hard to forget. "I was standing with Shikamaru and Chōji while everyone celebrated your victory, and it just kind of…slipped out. It was an in-the-moment type of thing," she defends hotly. "But then, during the war, I gave it a little thought and…it didn't seem so farfetched. I mean, you're dependable and hard-working…" Baby blue eyes rake over his form appraisingly. "And you're pretty good-looking…"_

 _Naruto can feel himself flushing beneath his makeup. "O-oh…heheh, I never woulda guessed," he comments, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment._

 _"Obviously," comes the sarcastic response._

 _"Well, how come you never said anything?"_

 _She shoots him a deadpan look. "Are you kidding me? Since when have you ever had eyes for anyone but Billboard Brow?" At his guilty look, she nods and affirms, "Exactly. Face it, Naruto, you're a good guy and everything, but you're blind to everyone but Sakura. No one can compete with—mmf!"_

 _He pulls away from the kiss after several seconds, blinking at Ino with curious blue eyes and hoping he hasn't overstepped his bounds. Ino stares back blankly for a moment before her lips curve into a hungry smirk. "Could use some practice with making out," she tacks on to her previous list, "but let's see if you're good at what_ really _matters, Uzumaki."_

Everything after that was mostly a blur, but Naruto is quite aware of two facts. One, he kissed Ino first, because two, he _wanted_ to kiss Ino. He's not quite sure why yet – certainly not out of pity or remorse for missed opportunities, though perhaps partially just to get her to stop talking about the obsession with Sakura he's trying to get past, to prove her wrong when she always seems so self-assured about everything – but he has no regret for his actions. Ino is spirited, her words filled with vinegar and brimstone, and Naruto finds that confidence attractive, no matter how much fire she spits in his direction. He's always wanted to prove himself, and what happened the previous night was, in part, his way of showing Ino she's wrong about him; between the kiss and now, his thoughts haven't lingered on Sakura once, barring his subconscious slip of the tongue while distracted by Ino's nakedness.

In the silence between them, he suddenly remembers what the older gentleman at his blackjack table said about Ino's alias of Hana, and a bout of guilt hits hard, making him wonder if what they shared was truly a good idea…or even mutual. "Uh, Ino…did you…? I mean…was last night…?"

"Spit it out, Naruto," she snaps amidst the rustle of clothing.

"Why'd you sleep with me?" he blurts out.

Silence greets him for a long moment before the kunoichi responds, "Because…I wanted to. When else would I ever get the opportunity?" she asks, and through the sarcasm, Naruto hears the tiniest bit of resentment, though he can't say with certainty whether it's aimed at him or herself. The fact that Ino's snappish attitude towards him has burned both hot and cold in a 24-hour period doesn't help him figure it out.

The fact that someone with Yamanaka Ino's…rumored particular taste…used to be interested in him – is _interested in me?_ he wonders – is a surprise, but not more so than the complete turnaround in how they interact with each other. From animosity to lust at the flip of a switch…Naruto doesn't get it.

 _But isn't that how Sakura-chan is?_ At least, in some respects. One moment, she can be genial and caring with her medical jutsu; the next, she's throwing a punch at his head with a fist fueled by rage and/or irritation. And despite that, Naruto has been in love with her for as long as he can remember. Temperament aside, Sakura is personable and pretty and caring and strong…

A lot like Ino, he realizes, and maybe the Yamanaka is just a little tired of being overshadowed by her best friend, the apprentice of the Legendary Sannin Tsunade and an exceptional medic-nin in her own right. And then Ino's brief tirade about Naruto having eyes for Sakura – and only Sakura – resurfaces (and isn't it funny what he can and can't remember?), and the blond thinks he's beginning to understand. _Is Ino…jealous? Of Sakura-chan?_ he muses, before the snapping of fingers brings his attention to the matter at hand.

Ino is staring at him, hands on her hips, the same annoyed expression from the day before back in place. "Well?"

A picture of pink hair and green eyes overshadows Ino's fair features; Naruto blinks to rid himself of the image, still trying to lose the vestiges of the long-time crush on his teammate when he knows she's out of reach. "Well what?"

She sighs exasperatedly. "You're supposed to head back to Konoha today. You've got everything, right?" When he nods, she returns it with one of her own. "Good." Ino stares at him for a moment, expression pensive, before shrugging in a gesture he takes to mean 'Why the hell not?' Then she bends over, grabs a handful of blond spikes, and kisses him with the same fire he can recall from the previous night. When she pulls back, she smirks a little in self-satisfaction at the dazed look on his face. "A little something to remember me by. And I'm not helping you with _that_ this time," she comments, pointing to the noticeable effect she has on him. "Until next time, Uzumaki…have fun." Then the door opens and closes, and Naruto is alone with his thoughts.

The Jinchūriki is caught between blushing and cursing out his fellow blonde in his head, though he settles for remaining silent, lost in thought.

Sakura is the girl he's loved since the Academy; Ino is the girl who clashes with him and leaves him confused and guilty and hot and half-cocked. Both are temperamental and hard to understand – though that might be due to Naruto not understanding girls – but they're also loyal and caring and good at what they do.

He shakes his head, knowing that comparing the two is unfair to both girls, especially after Ino's not-quite admission that she's jealous of her best friend. More than anyone, he knows what it's like to live in the shadow of another, for it's the continuing story of his unrequited love for Sakura since childhood (not to mention his rivalry with Sasuke).

And just like his own situation with Sakura, Ino knows how it feels to watch the object of one's affections from the sidelines and to simply be ignored by them – twice, if he takes into account her own childhood crush on Sasuke, which was arguably much more prominent than the one she had ( _has?_ ) on him. Knowing what it's like to quest futilely for someone, Naruto isn't sure he wants to subject Ino to that same feeling if he can help it, no matter that they've never been particularly close and that she surely wouldn't want to start a relationship based on something that sounds suspiciously like pity.

The fact that she might also be a bit of a sadist (emotionally, anyway) isn't an overly appealing trait…

This time, the blond does curse, because if the years of crawling back to Sakura after her physical beatings are any indication, he's probably a masochist. He remains motionless for several moments, wondering if it's wise to go down the road he's suddenly considering, especially since their interaction has consisted mostly of potshots and one night of intense, aggressive sex…

 _But maybe that's enough to start,_ he thinks, getting up and wandering to the bathroom for a cold shower, trying not to fixate on just their physical interaction and his body's reaction to her. Ino is stubborn and feisty, a lot like him, and yet possessed of many of the qualities that he finds attractive in Sakura. He doesn't love her – not yet, at any rate – but maybe he can learn to love her. That is, after all, all he's ever really wanted from Sakura, and though he'll never be bestowed with that affection in a romantic sense, maybe Ino is the girl that can fulfill that role; she already seems a bit more receptive to his affection than Sakura, and that's a big start.

As he steps into the spray of icy water and allows the chill to cool his heated body and fevered mind, Naruto's last thought of the platinum blonde is a steady desire to see her return from her mission sooner rather than later.

-l-l-l-

 **Author's Note:** Something I've had on the back burner for awhile, waiting for a rainy day. And since I have very little free time until November, it seems to be pouring.

"Rum 'n' fizz", aka, the ninja world equivalent of rum and Coke. Inspired by The Summer Set song _Love Like This_ ; Room 21 is an homage to the Hinder song of the same name. Part two will be out in a couple weeks.


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto's return to the Hidden Leaf is followed by a short debriefing with the Hokage – which involves calling in a Yamanaka to unlock some of the details Ino placed inside his head – before he's dismissed. There's no fanfare, no adulation, and the blond is forced to wonder if this is the same type of treatment Ino will receive upon her return. He's never really noticed before that Tsunade tries to maintain as professional a demeanor as possible when dealing with her shinobi – perhaps Ino is right that he's blind to a lot of things – but the knowledge that his friend will be returning from a mission that involves people lusting for her like a piece of meat and will likely not get any deserved gratitude doesn't sit right with him. "When's Ino comin' back?"

Tsunade, already perusing one page of a large stack of documents sitting on her desk, glances up. "When her mission is complete." Honey-colored eyes narrow at him. "Why? And why are you still here?"

Since the Hokage still has the capacity to scare the shit out of him and punt him into next week, he tamps down on his curiosity and stammers, "N-no reason," before departing as quickly as possible.

What starts as a potential hope for a way to move forward with a new romance quickly seems to become an obsession. Over the weeks that pass, Naruto tries everything in his capacity to keep his mind away from thoughts of Ino: missions, ramen, outings with the rest of the Konoha 11, the hope of the Hokage title looming ever closer…

Nothing works. All he can think about is his fellow blonde, the way she tasted, smelled…how her pale hair shone in the lights of the suite…her body under his, fingers trailing obscure patterns up his back, over his shoulders, down his chest…the way she stood before him, hands on hips, completely exposed and without a care…

He groans and slams his head repeatedly against the wall of his bedroom, trying to get the images and remembered sensory perception out of his brain. It's irritating that she's not even _there_ and his body reacts to her, heart racing and blood pounding in his ears. He wakes up hot and bothered and takes more cold showers than when he thought he was in love with Sakura and the times he had no hot water as a kid combined, because the alternative is succumbing to his memories and desires and allowing his fellow blonde to get an even larger foothold in his life while she's _not even in town._

When his control slips, he stays alone in his apartment and tries to convince himself he's not becoming as perverted as his teachers.

Even after sleeping with his pink-haired teammate, there were no lingering aftereffects to this degree. Sure, at the time he still loved her (or so he thought), but maybe that was just the result of a long-standing crush that should've petered out years ago…and maybe it did and he never noticed, too absorbed in the monotony of loving her to ever consider differently. In the dim grey of that morning, Sakura admitted that the hook-up was a mistake, a slip of control on her part, and now Naruto understands what that feels like, just a little.

Ino's gotten to him, and he can't quite figure out how or why.

He decides that he needs to focus his attention elsewhere, on something a little different than his normal distractions. There are other fish in the sea besides Ino, and there's no telling when the other blonde is coming back, so there's no reason to torture himself with notions of them together when someone else can (theoretically) fill the same role.

So, three weeks after returning from the gambling parlor, he asks Hinata out on a date. The Hyūga is a nice, normal (relatively-speaking) girl, very different from Sakura and Ino. She's sweet, and they share the same nindō, and despite her apparent nervousness around him, he thinks that maybe that can be an endearing trait rather than one he doesn't know how to deal with.

The date goes fine (at least, he thinks so…even taking everything into account, this is his first official date), but by the end of it, Naruto thinks that Hinata just isn't the right girl for him. She's a little too shy and soft-spoken, and he's brash and loud and speaks what's on his mind.

Just like Ino.

Even though he thinks the guy is supposed to, he doesn't kiss Hinata goodnight. Given her personality, he feels a bit pushy even considering it, and unlike Ino – who seems to enjoy a challenge – the Hyūga is far less likely to take the gesture well, especially since it doesn't seem like they're going to go any further. He doesn't want to mislead her with his intentions; they will part as friends – good friends – and nothing more.

When he gets home, he locks the door behind him, stands blankly in the entranceway for about 10 seconds, and then releases a yell of pent-up frustration. It is now beyond aggravating how stuck in his head Ino is – he could picture her criticizing him throughout the date, and for some reason it excites rather than repulses him – and he wonders briefly if there's some lingering effect of the Yamanaka clan technique she used that is causing this issue. They had a one-night stand, and though Naruto isn't that kind of guy – his accidental dalliances with the blonde and his pink-haired teammate aside – he knows from Jiraiya's descriptions that what he's feeling is unusual for such an encounter.

Not that his deceased teacher is the best role model in this regard, but his experience in the field was (supposedly) prolific.

Naruto collapses face-first onto his bed and moans despondently into his pillow. _This sucks._

-l-l-l-

Naruto throws himself even more wholeheartedly into his work, desperate for anything to drown out the strange feelings that come with thinking (but trying not to think) about Ino. Tsunade seems to take notice, but doesn't say anything. Instead, after two weeks of working him to the bone, she gives him an A-rank mission to perform, tells him to choose his remaining three teammates – practice for arranging squadrons as the Hokage, she calls it, and the blond doesn't even think to call her out on her laziness – and dismisses him with a wave of her hand (which reminds him, again, of Ino).

He knows he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, so the first person he thinks of recruiting is Shikamaru; the Nara is intelligent and more than capable of making up for his deficit in this regard.

When his friend answers the door, he listens to the blond's request with an attentive ear, but holds up his hand halfway through to forestall the other teen from talking further. "Sorry, Naruto, but I've got some clan business to take care of here. And the Cryptanalysis Squad wants me to go over some cypher Ino just brought back. Something about the yakuza teaming up with Sora-nin…sounds troublesome."

Shikamaru tries to shut the door, but Naruto slams his hand against the wood and holds it open; the Nara's eyes widen slightly at the speed with which he's been stymied. "Ino's back?" the blond asks, and his voice cracks slightly with a hopeful lilt.

"Yeah, she got back last night." His dark eyes narrow, and Naruto is reminded distinctly of Tsunade's suspicious looks. "Why?"

"No reason," he chirps, priorities rearranging themselves in his head. "Gotta go, have fun with your stuff!"

He takes off for Yamanaka Flowers, hoping that his fellow blonde is there. After the war, Sakura told him that Ino took up residence in the loft above their shop; at the time, Naruto didn't know why he would care for this tidbit of information, but now he's just grateful that he remembers it.

The shop is closed when he gets there, but the Jinchūriki doesn't let that deter him. He hops up onto the second story and notes the drawn curtains, but raps on the window anyway. It takes a minute, but eventually the curtains draw back and Ino's face appears on the opposite side of the glass. She looks tired, and judging by the spaghetti strap top and pajama pants, he's just woken her up. "Naruto?"

Now that she's finally in front of him, no words seem to come to Naruto's mind. With how vain Ino portrays herself as, he's a little surprised that she doesn't wear those avocado skin creams and eye-cucumbers to bed; mistakenly, his mouth starts to point that out before he can think to stop it. "You don't have any weird goopy stuff on."

"I don't—" she repeats with a frown before her expression suddenly becomes far less tolerant of his presence. "What the hell are you doing here, Naruto?"

' _I can't stop thinking about you_ ' jumps into his mind, but this time he has enough forethought to not say something so creepy. "I've been waiting for you to get back." By the way her eyebrows knit together even further, it's clear that the line wasn't delivered as smoothly as he imagined.

"Just because I slept with you once doesn't mean I'm going to do it again."

"No, I…" How does he explain that it's not about the sex (entirely, anyway)? Sure, based on his limited experience, it was amazing, and yes, he has (day)dreams about them together that he can't get out of his head no matter how hard he tries – and the effort that goes into trying is sometimes painful and almost always ineffective – but there's more to it than that. With the world in relative stability and the Hokage title looming ever closer, he actually has time to find love and settle down; after all, if Sasuke can manage whatever weird thing he has with Sakura while roaming the Elemental Nations, then surely he can do it while within Konoha's walls.

But how does he tell her that he's been in love with Sakura for so long that he doesn't really know how to see what else is out there? That there's something about the blonde that won't allow him to connect with other girls like Hinata…that makes him think that maybe she's the one he should be focused on, and he already is because she _won't get out of his head—_

He decides that he needs to get his thoughts together before attempting another conversation with her, so he mumbles, "Sorry for waking you. Gotta go…mission," before leaping away, missing the way Ino rolls her eyes and shuts the curtains after he leaves.

Naruto gets Shino as his strategist, Hinata as the medic and scout, and Lee for his combat skills before departing the Hidden Leaf, wondering what he'll say when he gets back.

-l-l-l-

Ino's working inside Yamanaka Flowers when he returns several days later. He walks in, and the platinum blonde looks up, scowls, and asks, "What do you want _now,_ Naruto?"

This time, he's already decided that brazen outspokenness is the best strategy. "Go out with me."

"I already told you, I'm not—"

"No, not that. Just a date. No…no _sex_ ," he whispers, shooting a furtive glance at the middle-aged woman perusing flowers in the shop's corner, hoping she can't hear such an embarrassing conversation.

Ino's eyes narrow suspiciously; Naruto finds it weird that everyone seems to be giving him that look lately. "Why?"

"'Cause…I kinda-sorta…like you? I think?"

Ino raises an eyebrow, and Naruto's forced to admit that his 'be bold' strategy isn't very effective when he sounds so unsure and questioning. Some small manner of hope surges within him though, for she's starting to look a little more bemused than pissed off by the conversation now. "You _think?_ "

His eyes scrunch together in a show of nervous thoughtfulness, though he continues on in the hope that she'll agree to go out with him. "A-ah, w-well, you were right, back then…when you said I only had eyes for Sakura-chan…"

The Yamanaka is staring at him coyly, elbows on the countertop and chin in her palms; he's reminded of the way she looked at him after he accidentally mentioned his time with Sakura, naked and so full of herself despite her seeming vulnerability. "Go on."

"But Sakura-chan isn't interested in me, and you're kinda like—"

Ino's eyes harden into an approximation of diamonds. "I'm not going to be your substitute for Billboard Brow."

Naruto puts his hands up in a gesture of pause, realizing immediately that he's said the wrong thing. He shakes his head vigorously and stammers, "No no no, that's not what I meant! I mean…you and Sakura-chan are kinda alike, right? And maybe that's my…my type, y'know? But because I was so focused on Sakura-chan, I didn't realize that you were there, too…and now I do…" he finishes quietly, dejectedly, expecting his misshapen words to fall on deaf ears.

He looks up to find his fellow blonde's expression has settled into something neutral. Contemplative. After almost a minute of intense silence, during which he begins to fidget, she acquiesces. "Fine. A date."

Naruto resists the urge to throw his hands up in glee. "Alright! Why don't we go to—?"

"No ramen."

He clamps his mouth shut and almost starts to pout. "But—"

 _"No. Ramen._ It doesn't have to be a fancy place, but you don't take a girl to a ramen stand on a date."

 _Hinata-chan didn't mind…_ "Okay… I'll think of somethin'."

"Shop closes at six," Ino tells him. "See you then."

Dismissal clear, he leaves the florist's, wondering if he has to bring her flowers and if it's tacky to do so from her own shop.

When six o'clock rolls around, Naruto's already made the decision to not bring flowers (he has no idea what to get, and it seems like a hassle) and simply hopes that the meal and conversation will suffice. Since he doesn't have much in the way of clothing aside from his everyday-wear (shinobi and off-duty alike), he decides to simply change into a clean uniform, forgoing his normal weapon pouches and forehead protector.

Ino, thankfully, also isn't wearing anything more complicated. She's switched out her casualwear for an ankle-length purple skirt and sleeveless top that leaves her midriff bare. It reminds him a lot of her usual shinobi gear, except that Naruto's sure he's never seen this outfit before – not that he's ever really kept track of what she wears – but he finds that it suits her far better than the miniskirt and low-cut top of the gambling parlor. "You look nice," he offers.

"Thanks. You clean up pretty well yourself." She tucks a stray strand of platinum blonde hair behind her ear, and Naruto wishes he had the foresight to do it for her, just to remember what it's like to touch her. Then he shakes his head and remembers what he promised: no sex. It's hard enough to restrain himself when it's just a figment of his imagination; he's not sure the actual sensory recall will do him any favors in keeping his word. Ino's giving him a strange look, and he straightens his smile to reassure her. It seems to work, for she asks, "So, where are we going?"

"Oh, right. Follow me."

He leads her to a barbeque place – not her team's usual Yakiniku Q – and they sit in a sort of strange silence that reminds Naruto uncomfortably of the start to his date with Hinata. He fidgets; so far, the outing isn't going remarkably well, and now that Ino's actually in front of him, he doesn't know what to say.

Maybe it was all about the sex after all…

"So, how are Billboard Brow and I different?"

"Eh?"

"You said that we're both 'your type'," Ino comments, breaking apart her bamboo chopsticks and examining them for splinters with a keen eye. "But I told you, I'm _not_ going to be her replacement. So, what's different about us?"

"You're prettier," he blurts out, feeling like he's being tested on what to say, and even as that thought crosses his mind, he realizes that the statement isn't any less true.

"And?" When he flounders for a number of seconds, Ino sighs and tries to tone down on the hostility in her voice. "Look Naruto, I'm not fishing for compliments…I can get those anytime, anywhere. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; it's not something that varies as much with a person as it does with whoever's interested in that person. I just want to know what you honestly like about me that made you change your mind after all these years, and that you're not trying to use me just to get off again."

Naruto flushes at her comment, especially when the waiter steps into earshot at that moment and drops off the meat for them to cook. He's contemplative as Ino takes a plate and dumps it onto the grill, spreading out the pieces to better cook them. "I like that you speak your mind," he says quietly, blue-eyed gaze focused on watching her work. Ino's fingers stop moving for a beat – perhaps in surprise, Naruto doesn't know; he's still too embarrassed to look up at her – and he continues, "Sakura-chan…she…she'll yell at me and hit me when I do something wrong, but sometimes she doesn't tell me how she really feels or what happens…like she's tryin' to protect me. But you tell me the truth, no matter what it is, and…I like that. People should say what they mean rather than lie about how they feel."

There's no response for a long moment before Ino lets out a laugh, amusement ringing out clear as a bell. "Shikamaru and Chōji _hate_ that about me," she tells him lightly. "They think I'm too bossy. Of course, they're both super lazy, so what do they know? Asuma-sensei told me I needed to protect them, and if that means finding ways to motivate them that they find annoying…well, they'll just have to suck it up and deal with it."

Naruto finally looks up, a tentative grin on his face. Ino returns the gesture and then slides several pieces of barbecued beef onto his plate. He picks one up and chews it thoughtfully, blue eyes lighting up. "You're a really good cook."

"Practice," she shrugs. "Hang around Chōji enough at Yakiniku Q and you'll learn how to cook, too."

Naruto doesn't have anything to say in response to that; his cooking is mediocre at best, most of his meals coming from instant food or Ichiraku Ramen (or other people, like Sakura), and trying to learn has never been a big priority.

The rest of their meal goes by amidst portions of small talk, and by the end of the night, Naruto finds that the things he's learned about Yamanaka Ino just make him yearn to know more. He walks her back to Yamanaka Flowers at dinner's conclusion, and when he shifts restlessly from foot to foot on her doorstep, unsure of whether or not to kiss her, she takes matters into her own hands by pressing her lips to his cheek and thanking him for the date before disappearing inside.

He stands outside her door for several seconds, trying to process the series of events, and then leaves, mind, as always, consumed by thoughts of his fellow blonde.

-l-l-l-

One week later, Naruto is walking along Konoha's streets after returning from a mission when his periphery catches sight of the same platinum blonde hair that haunts his dreams and warms his insides. He turns fully to focus on it, finding Ino in the same barbeque joint they went on their date.

Sitting across from Sai.

Laughing.

Naruto feels a surge of something hot and foreign rush through his veins as he watches Ino laugh and Sai smile in a sincere but unsure way, years of training to be without his emotions coming undone slowly but surely. Even considering how they met years ago, not to mention the artist's less-than-ideal nickname of 'Dickless' for him, the Jinchūriki has never felt the urge to punch his teammate more than he does in that moment.

Unthinking, he marches into the restaurant surrounded by an aura that probably isn't unlike the one his father and Kakashi have told him his mother used to carry. Ino and Sai look up at him when he stops at their table, both with varying degrees of surprise on their faces. "Can we talk?" he bites out.

Ino frowns. "I'm kind of in the middle of a—"

"Please?" he asks, a tinge of desperation in his tone; he's sure he doesn't want to hear the end of that sentence, even though it may be innocuous.

"…Fine." The platinum blonde offers Sai a tight smile – one which Naruto isn't sure his teammate can determine is fake or not – before dragging Naruto outside the establishment and into a side alley. "What?" she snaps.

Something about seeing her so feisty and worked up reminds Naruto of the night they spent together, and a familiar heat courses through his body to combat his nerves. "What about our date?"

"What _about_ our date?" she repeats, tone haughtier than his questioning one.

He looks at her blankly. "Aren't we dating?"

"Are we?"

"Why do you keep repeating—?"

"I want you to think for yourself." She sighs and her tone gentles. "Look, Naruto, there are certain things a guy is supposed to do for a girl on a date. You didn't really do any of them, so I didn't know if you were really interested or not…but even if we are dating, that doesn't mean we're exclusive. I can still see anyone else I want."

"…What am I supposed to do?"

"You know, things like hold a girl's hand when you walk her home, offer her your jacket…that kind of stuff." She peers at him curiously. "Didn't you do any of that with Billboard Brow?"

"A-ah, no…we didn't…that was an accident." According to Sakura, anyway. "I've never really dated before." There's a pause as Ino seems to consider his words, during which he continues, "I wanna be exclusive." Expecting some sort of protest or argument, he plows forward with, "I really like you, and I can learn how to do all that stuff, really! Just give me—"

"Okay."

He blinks, not expecting it to be that easy. "Okay?"

Ino half-smiles, half-smirks at him, and he feels that same rush of warmth as he did when she looked at him in the suite. "If you're acting like this after only one date and especially after seeing me with another guy, I think that's enough evidence that you like me. Some girls might find it clingy, but I kind of like a guy who's willing to fight for me."

In a burst of inspiration, and with Ino's words about things a guy is supposed to do echoing in his head, Naruto steps forward, leans down, and kisses the shorter blonde. She reciprocates, moving his hands onto her waist before wrapping her own around his neck and maneuvering them so that his back hits the alley wall.

They remain like that for almost a minute, Naruto's brain fizzing pleasantly, until Ino pulls away, the self-satisfied expression that he's growing used to seeing already on her lips. "So you _can_ learn…not bad." Then she leans in close and whispers into his ear, "I like the attention, but just remember that I also like to come out on top."

Flushed and hot, Naruto can only watch in stunned, pleased silence as she walks away, presumably to break things off with Sai. He knows all too well from their prior experience what Ino is referring to, and while he feels he should be more assertive, he's more than happy to just stoke whatever fire is burning between them without disrupting the embers.

-l-l-l-

It's nine at night and Naruto is reading a manga on his couch when heavy knocking resounds on his door. Confused at the late visitor, he puts down his book and opens the door to find Ino standing on the other side. Her expression appears neutral at first glance, but some hidden anger roils tumultuously beneath the surface of her skin and deep within her eyes. "Ino-chan?"

"You forgot," she accuses, storming past him into the apartment. She finds a place to stand by the coffee table and stares at him, arms crossed over her chest, while he closes the door.

"Forgot what?" He racks his brain for something that he doesn't know he's supposed to be looking for. "We didn't have a date tonight."

"Exactly!" she points out. "We've been going out a month now and you didn't plan anything!"

"Er…so?"

"So?" she parrots back. "This is a big deal!"

"It is?"

 _"Ugh!_ " She rubs her forehead with the thumb and middle finger of one hand, baby blue eyes closed in exasperation. "Sometimes I forget how romantically inept you are. You're _supposed_ to celebrate your one-month anniversary."

"Oh…sorry. Well now I know for next month!"

Ino shakes her head. "No, no one cares about two months. It's one month, six months, and then every year."

Naruto decides not to question the logic; as with many other romance-related things, he merely trusts in Ino's judgment. She has yet to steer him wrong…not that he has anything to compare to, but their relationship is still going, so he figures they're doing something right. "Well, you're here now…wanna do somethin'?" He feels a little guilty for not knowing the dating benchmark, but with her sudden presence, he doesn't really want her to leave.

She considers his offer, eyes swiveling between the manga tented on the coffee table and then back to him. "You sure? I know I made a big deal about it, but if you're doing something, I don't want to bother you."

"I like having you around," he tells her with all the beguilement of youth. "C'mon, you can read with me, the best part's coming up!" When he goes back to lay across the couch, she lays down along his length, tanned arms forming a circle around her that keeps her close to his chest. Naruto relishes in the heat of her presence as he returns to reading in silence, Ino's head of platinum blonde hair under his chin.

When they finish almost an hour later, Ino is looking up at him from her position as best as she can. He almost wants to ask her what she thought of the manga – what she's thinking right now – but the words that come spilling from his mouth instead are, "Sorry about tonight."

Ino shakes her head. "Don't be, it was my fault, too. It's not as big a deal as I made it out to be, and I forgot that you wouldn't know about it. Besides, this was kind of nice."

He nods his agreement as she rotates in his grasp, putting them chest-to-chest. She kisses him then, slow and sweet, nothing like the last time they were in this position, but Naruto still feels his body temperature skyrocket as he returns her affection. Her fingers dig under his shirt and trail soft lines along his pecs and abs, leaving blazing paths of fire in their wake.

For a long moment, the blond is frozen by the gesture – and how ironic, with how hot he feels – almost disbelieving that it's actually occurring, but then he starts to reciprocate, arms moving from around her body to the hem of her shirt. When his hands try to crawl underneath it, Ino stops kissing him and slowly pulls back; her expression is shy and hesitant, nothing like the confident and brash blonde he's used to. "Sorry…I shouldn't have started that."

Naruto feels hot all over, and it takes a moment to formulate a reply. "Eh?"

It's not the most intelligent thing he's ever said in the heat of the moment, but he's sure worse things have slipped past his lips.

Ino smiles a little at his response, and the Jinchūriki thinks that maybe, just maybe, she finds his confusion endearing. "I don't want our relationship to be built on just…this," she says, attempting to gesture between them. "I know that's how it started, but I don't want you to look at me like…"

 _A cheap thrill…a replacement for Sakura…_ Either of those are possibilities, and Naruto understands where she's coming from because there were times when he wondered if Sakura had substituted himself for Sasuke in that one _(mistake)_ moment.

He tries to remember the last time he thought about Sakura in any sort of romantic context and finds that he can't…all of his recent thoughts have revolved around Ino, an all-consuming desire for her nearness burning within. "I don't," he tells her, and she searches his blue eyes for any sign of insincerity. Finding none, she hugs him close, as best as she can with his back against the couch cushions, and Naruto takes comfort in her nearness. "Are you okay?" he asks quietly.

She shakes her head against his chest, and when she finally decides to lift it off, he searches her baby blue eyes for some sign of why she's acting so unusual. "You were only the first," she whispers, and in the time it takes for him to understand the meaning of her words, she's gotten off of him and is standing with her hand on the doorknob. "I wish you were the last…"

Then she's gone, and Naruto is left with a towering rage that makes him want to rip the scumbag Hayate limb from limb. _He used her…_ After he found a subtle way to meet with Ino, the parlor owner took their time together and warped it into something grotesque. He doesn't blame his fellow blonde for what she had to do on her mission…he blames himself for setting a precedent that wasn't there before.

He walks into the shower and sets the water temperature as high as it'll go. Stepping beneath the scalding spray, he hopes the water is hot enough to purge him of the pleasure of Ino's body atop his and the guilt of the repercussions wrought from their first dalliance.

-l-l-l-

Naruto scratches his head in confusion when Ino suggests that they play poker that evening. She wants to know how he won on the mission they hooked up at, and he's admittedly unsure why since his fellow blonde has done everything in her power to forget about her time undercover.

At least, that's the assumption he's been operating under as to why they haven't had any repeat performances of their night at the gambling parlor in the three months they've been dating. He doesn't blame her for holding out if this is the case – which isn't to say it isn't frustrating – but Naruto still holds himself partially responsible and thus doesn't say anything about the matter.

Still, he remembers the last time he played poker with his friends – a guy's night with the other males of the Konoha 11 – and how enjoyable that was, so he simply nods. "Sure, sounds fun. Want me to go tell everyone else?"

Ino waves him off. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of everything. See you tonight, okay?"

"Okay…" he replies, watching her jog down the street after a hasty kiss to his cheek. He shrugs off her behavior and continues on his way, looking forward to the night's fun.

When evening rolls around, Ino arrives at his door with a deck of cards and a coat worn over her usual outfit. The night air is brisk and the platinum blonde is one of those girls who gets cold easily, so he thinks nothing of it, though when he asks where everyone else is – and where the chips for betting are – she merely shrugs and slips past the door into his apartment.

They start playing a variant of blackjack Ino calls five-card draw. It uses the same hands, so Naruto isn't completely lost, though he is a little confused when his girlfriend takes every loss in stride; the Yamanaka isn't the most graceful loser – a lot like him – and the playful smile flitting about her lips and her silence are unusual. With each loss, she methodically sheds a piece of clothing – shoes, socks, coat – and Naruto thinks that she's finally settling into the comfortable atmosphere.

By the sixth 'practice' game, he wonders why no one else has shown up yet – Shikamaru's lazy and Lee's dedicated to training, but Shino and Sai are punctual to a fault, and Tenten and Hinata have enough common decency and politeness to arrive on time – but makes no mention of it, focusing on the hand he's been dealt.

By the eighth game, he no longer questions where everyone else is…Ino has removed her shirt and is now sitting cross-legged in her pants and a lacy, purple bra. The room suddenly feels stifling. "Ino-chan…?" he manages.

"Hm?"

"I…is this—?"

"Dealer takes two," she interjects, that same smile curling about her lips a little wider.

Naruto asks nothing else, throwing his own two cards away and grabbing two more. His full house beats Ino's straight, and the platinum blonde wriggles out of her pants to be left only in her lingerie. He feels his blood – hot and pulsing – run through his veins as his girlfriend casually shuffles and deals while practically naked, his body coiled and tense in a mixture of nerves and anticipation; he barely hears himself ask for two cards on the next hand, blue eyes focused intensely upon his fellow blonde.

His quartet of queens sweeps her hearts-suited flush – and he can't even focus on the irony of his own flush caused by the situation at hand – and Ino's arm twists backwards until her hand is somewhere in the middle of her back. They've done this before, in a comfortable suite with no hesitation between them, but somehow Naruto feels like a shy virgin because of the significance of the moment.

The straps of Ino's top loosen. "It's a little col—"

Naruto's already on top of her by the time her bra falls to the floor, the heat coursing through his body enough to keep her warm for the foreseeable future.

The first thing he notices when he wakes up the next morning is that Ino is missing. So is his shirt, he discovers, pulling on rumpled boxers and pants.

Naruto exits his room and finds his girlfriend in the kitchen, working at the stove with her back to him, wearing the orange hoodie with black cuffs and waistline that is part of the off-duty clothes he was wearing last night. He stops and just watches for a moment, confused at the fact that she's wearing it; Ino has never kept it secret that she thinks orange is a tacky color, and has dragged him on multiple shopping excursions to try to rectify his wardrobe, though they always leave with no bags. To see her wearing it when she's sworn she wouldn't be caught dead in his favorite color is…startling…and, if he's honest with himself, a bit of a turn-on.

He silently walks around the counter to get a better view (and smell) of what she's cooking, and stops dead. Since Ino is only a couple inches shorter than him, his hoodie – despite being a little loose and long – falls only far enough to brush the uppermost part of her thighs. In his stupor of admiring her legs, she reaches behind her, hooks a hand around his arm, trails her fingers to his wrist, and drags it down to place his hand on her hip.

Naruto tries to swallow the lump in his throat as his temperature seems to skyrocket with the rising sun. Ino cranes her neck enough to shoot him a coy smile, baby blue eyes dancing with mischief. "You like?"

He nods, unable to find his voice.

She's wearing nothing underneath.

His blood once again surges with that familiar desire. They've slept together twice now, in two completely different sets of circumstances, and even considering that, Naruto thinks that Ino is the most audacious person he's ever known. She's stubborn, argumentative, fun, sexy, challenging…she plays with his emotions and state of mind without always meaning to, and instead of finding it annoying or hurtful, it makes his feelings simmer with a desire to push back and stoke whatever is between them.

When he loved Sakura, he would always try too hard to impress her and then end up either pissing her off or falling horribly short. Ino welcomes his words – stumbling, unsure, and slightly over-the-top alike – with brutal honesty and challenging grins, tweaking his missteps until he's on the right path, even if it's not necessarily the one she fully approves of (his wardrobe is a key example).

The two girls are so different, Naruto sometimes forgets that he originally thought of Ino as being another version of Sakura, because now he knows there is no comparison. His seeming-obsession following their one-night stand has never really faded, instead evolving into a steady, smoldering desire to see her and be around her and just _know_ her.

And now he does, and all he wants is more of everything, of her, because—

"I love you," he mumbles, thumb rubbing circles on Ino's hip through the fabric of his hoodie.

She pauses briefly in making breakfast. "Naruto, you don't have to say—"

"Ino," he says, no less quietly than before, but with a tone of conviction that forces her to turn in his hold until they're face-to-face. "I love you."

She scrutinizes him with baby blue eyes that always seem to entice him, and for a brief moment, he wonders if she ever uses her clan's techniques to read his mind. When she seems to find whatever she's looking for, she slowly stretches up on tiptoe until her lips are barely a breath away from his.

He's so distracted by the way his fingertips brush the bare skin of her thighs and hips, his hoodie riding up on her body and leaving her exposed to him, heat blooming beneath his touch, that he almost misses her whisper, "Okay."

His blood sings in his veins with the fire that always ignites in her presence, and he kisses her with all the passion she inspires in him, bringing her body flush against his and causing their warmth to mingle. "Okay," he whispers back against her lips, his own pulled back in a wide smile.

The hoodie is thrown to the wayside, and then there is nothing between them but friction, heat, and enough kindling to make sure the fire doesn't die.

-l-l-l-

 **Author's Note:** Well, that was fun. An interesting departure from my normal genre. Hope you enjoyed it. Inspiration drawn from a lot of songs I listen to, but mainly Survivor's _I Can't Hold Back_ and Foreigner's _Hot-Blooded_ for this chapter.


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